Peoria bishop presents Pope Leo with relic of Blessed Fulton Sheen

Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria presented Pope Leo XIV with a relic of Blessed Fulton Sheen during a private audience at the Vatican Oct. 5, less than two weeks after the famed American evangelist was beatified in St. Louis.

Bishop Tylka met with the Holy Father alongside Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, according to statements released by the Diocese of Peoria following the meeting.

“It was a profound joy and privilege to meet with our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and to present him with a relic of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen on behalf of the Diocese of Peoria and all those who have prayed for and supported Archbishop Sheen’s Cause,” Bishop Tylka said.

The bishop noted the Catholic tradition of presenting popes with relics of saints and blesseds, adding that the occasion held particular significance because of Pope Leo’s personal interest in Blessed Sheen.

“To place a relic of this son of the Diocese of Peoria into the hands of the first American pope, both of whom are from Illinois, was an especially moving moment,” Tylka said.

Archbishop Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895 and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1919. Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, grew up in the Chicago area and has recalled watching the archbishop on television as a child.

In June, Pope Leo called Sheen “a light of faith, hope, and love” whose witness shone for decades through radio and television. The Pope said he personally witnessed Sheen’s evangelization while growing up and noted that his broadcasts brought the Gospel to millions.

The day before Blessed Sheen’s Sept. 24 beatification, Pope Leo again highlighted the American archbishop during his general audience, expressing hope that Sheen’s example would inspire others to “find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm.”

Sheen was formally declared Blessed during a Sept. 24 Mass at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. Cardinal Luis Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, presided as Pope Leo’s representative. Approximately 50,000 people attended the celebration.

During the Mass, Cardinal Tagle conveyed Pope Leo’s joy at the beatification of his “fellow countryman” and “fellow Illinoisan.” The Pope’s apostolic letter described Sheen as “a tireless preacher of the Gospel through the modern means of communication and a diligent shepherd animated by missionary zeal.”

Monsignor Gray, who has worked on Sheen’s cause since it opened in 2002 and directed the investigation of the miracle approved for his beatification, said Monday’s audience carried particular significance after more than two decades of work.

“I felt that Archbishop Sheen was with us in spirit when greeting Pope Leo,” Monsignor Gray said. “I am grateful that Pope Leo spoke so fondly of Archbishop Sheen, whom he remembered watching when he was young.”

The archbishop met several popes during his lifetime, Gray noted, particularly through his missionary work. For 16 years, Sheen served as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, now part of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Bishop Tylka said he hopes the relic given to Pope Leo will serve as a reminder not only of Sheen but of the mission that shaped his life.

“The Holy Father’s own interest in Archbishop Sheen reminds us that his witness continues to speak to the Church today,” Tylka said, “and challenges all of us to proclaim the Gospel with the same conviction and joy.”